4. Shot

~ MILENA ~

Irritation flashes through me as the car comes ever closer. As predicted it would.

I’m waiting for the moment Zion’s car that he no longer has control over dangerously drives down this one-way road, and I’ll be here, waiting to pull out in front of him.

I have to time it just right. If he hits my car at that speed, I’m the one who will suffer, not him. He’s a werewolf, he’s physically stronger.

Now.

I turn my car out onto the road, but from his point of view, he wouldn’t have seen I was waiting on standby.

Nine seconds until impact…

Five…

I see his car swerve and I turn my own steering in the other direction, bracing for impact as my car slams into one of the trees lining the road. The windscreen shatters and my airbag bursts out, knocking me back into my seat, and my head spins violently.

Fuck.

My entire body is jarring with pain. I hear the sound of an even louder crash and struggle to look through the window. My neck hurts…

I glance at the passenger seat where a birthday cake sits strapped into the seat. I just need to make sure this appears real.

I stay still in my seat; we assumed he’d come to check on me… I watch the wreckage from the side mirror, trying to see him in the wreckage where a small fire has already begun forming, but then something blocks my view and I see a shadow fall over the car.

So he got out before the collision... it would have been better if he was at least a little injured.

I don’t move, my eyes half shut as he bends over to look in through the window, which is intact.

This is it…

He yanks open the door and it takes everything in me to control my emotions. Only now does it hit me that I am going to come face to face with the man who wanted me dead.

The very same man who went from combing his fingers through my curls and kissing my forehead to telling me he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet through my forehead if he saw me again.

Now is the moment.

“Fuck.” His deep husky voice comes as he reaches over to feel my pulse when he stiffens.

Has he already realised it’s me?

I focus on steadying my heartbeat as I pretend to move my head, ok it fucking hurts, but it’s not really something I can’t cope with. I groan slightly, and then his hand is in my hair as he lifts my head.

Then our eyes meet and my heart betrays me, hammering loudly as I gaze into those piercing blue eyes.

They’re filled with more emotions than they were the last time we met.

I’ve seen photos of him since then, but time has only done him good. He looks even better than he did seven years ago. And with a sinking heart, I realise that although I hate him with everything I have, the attraction I felt towards the man I detest remains.

“Milena…”

I open my mouth, gritting my teeth.

Fuck you, Havok… this was a shit plan. Right now, I’m far more vulnerable than he is. I’m at his mercy.

“Now’s the perfect time to finish what you once failed to,” I remark, my voice coming out a choked whisper.

He doesn’t react, although I know he heard me. Instead, he unstraps my belt, his eyes flitting to the buckle, then to me and then at the cake that’s somewhat not completely squashed.

He doesn’t say anything before he lifts me out of the car. “I’m fine,” I add, wanting to be put down.

“You’re bleeding.”

I look up at him, his jaw looks more prominent, sharper… his hair is shorter, shaved on the sides, the top slicked back, and a stubble covers his jaw and those plump lips…

I scoff slightly, looking away. “And? I can take care of myself. Why the hell were you driving like a fucking idiot?”

I can feel him watching me. “You tell me. What is the reason you went through all of that? I’m sure it’s not just so I can carry you to a hospital in my arms.”

My heart skips a beat.

He’s always been clever, but the conviction with how he said that one sentence… as if he was completely certain. But I’m not going to admit that.

I chuckle humourlessly. “And why would you think I was the one who was behind that?”

“You don’t wear a seatbelt, Milena. You were waiting for that collision.”

“You’re delusional.”

His jaw ticks, his lips turning up into a tiny mocking smirk before he looks down at me. “Am I?”

We both were…

The hatred towards him burns my skin.

Sorry, Raze, I’m doing this my way. I know Zion better than they do.

The painful memory of that night replays in my mind and I stiffen in his arms.

“Put me down,” I command.

“No, I don’t think-”

Pain sears through my thigh and this time I’m not faking it as a gasp leaves me. It takes me a second to comprehend, my eyes snapping to Zion. Did he do something? Then another bullet whizzes past me, barely missing me, but Zion’s moved. He’s extremely fast.

“Seems you have a lot of enemies.”

“They’re probably here for you!” I snarl as he places me down, and I reach into the back of my pants for one of the three daggers I have slipped into the band on them. I slide the first out as I grit my teeth at the pain in my thigh.

The bullet hit me… it was a mistake, wasn’t it? I know Havok and Raze, and neither would put me in harm’s way on purpose to reach their goal. So who is out there?

“Those bullets are not made for werewolves,” he says as he replaces his gun magazine. He takes another shot and I hear a grunt. “Perfect.”

For a moment, doubt flits through me as there’s a shout, and then Zion’s gone, racing towards the fallen man.

Was this the plan and they just didn't want to tell me? Or is there really someone else who took that shot?

Either way, I know my mission; I need to stay as close as possible, and when I find that one moment that I can carry out a guaranteed kill… I have to bide my time.

Keeping pressed against the tree, I slowly inch around, my eyes scanning the thinly spread trees. It’s dark as this is just a side road. But they don’t have much to hide behind, the streetlights, even if scarce, are sufficient enough to see in.

I see a slight shadow move to the right and I turn, flicking one of my knives. It hurts the target before I hear a thud. I run, partially limping with my thigh, and reach the fallen man, but he’s not dead.

His hands shoot out and he grabs my neck, squeezing hard. I grip his hands, trying to drag him off me as I’m pulled to the ground and he rolls over, straddling me as he tightens his hold. My vision blurs as I sink my nails into the flesh of his hands. I raise my good leg and slam my knee into his back.

He grunts and I keep kicking him until he falls back, unconscious.

I kick him off, stand up and pull off the mask that covers his face. A wave of unease fills me as I stare at the man. I don’t recognise him.

I look around, seeing Zion walk over to me, his gun pointing at the man on the ground, but his eyes fixed on me.

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t you?”

He doesn’t believe me, but the icy look in his eyes makes me wish I had something more than two little knives left to defend myself.

“I saw that throw. You're clearly trained.”

I frown. “Everyone deserves to be able to protect themselves. But if you’re so fucking scared, shoot me, put an end to it like you wanted,” I challenge. “Oh, wait…” I step closer, not caring that I’m up in his personal space. This time I smirk as I lean in to whisper in his ear, “You faltered.”